Ranchi: Tight security arrangements have been made at strategic places after reports of the CPI(Maoist) calling a 48-hour Jharkhand-Bihar shutdown from Saturday.

Security forces will man the railway tracks, panchayat bhavans and have identified some other strategic places to guard against any eventuality during the bandh period, particularly the Maoist-affected districts, said the police.

The Maoists, who had started a "protest week" after ten of their cadres were killed by their breakaway group Tritiya Prastuti Committee on March 28, have called up some media houses to inform that they would enforce the two-day bandh in Jharkhand and Bihar from Friday midnight.

The rebels blew up a panchayat bhavan in Lohardaga and killed five policemen in Gumla during the ongoing "protest week" that culminates with the two-day shutdown.

The Maoists have a track record of calling bandhs whenever their cadres are arrested or killed and destroy school buildings, railway tracks, Panchayat bhawans and opening fire on passenger buses and trucks plying during bandh.